Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Los Angeles / Fairmont Century Plaza
Fairmont Century Plaza
Los Angeles, California, United States · Fairmont · High Luxury
Minoru Yamasaki's arc-shaped Century Plaza opened in 1966 as the tallest building in Century City, raised on former 20th Century Fox backlot land after Cleopatra wrecked studio finances. It was the first hotel with color televisions in every room. Nixon hosted a 1969 state dinner here for the Apollo 11 astronauts; Reagan later treated the tower wing as his Western White House. Saved from demolition after a 2009 National Trust endangered listing, it reopened under Fairmont on 27 September 2021.
- 394 rooms
- Opened 1966
- Neighborhood: Century City
- Rooms from 463 sq ft (43 m²)
- Architect: Minoru Yamasaki
About Fairmont Century Plaza
- Architect Minoru Yamasaki designed the 19-storey arc as Century City's centerpiece on land 20th Century Fox sold after the Cleopatra flop.
- At opening in 1966 it was the first hotel to install color televisions in all rooms.
- On 13 August 1969 President Nixon held a state dinner in the Los Angeles Ballroom celebrating the Apollo 11 moon landing crew.
- Ronald Reagan signed in as first guest of the 1984 tower wing and stayed so often the press called it his Western White House.
- After owners floated demolition, the National Trust named it one of America's 11 most endangered historic places in 2009; Fairmont reopened the renovated hotel in 2021.
History
Fairmont Century Plaza traces its roots to 1966, when the Century Plaza Hotel opened in Los Angeles’s Century City as a high-rise statement piece designed by Minoru Yamasaki. The hotel was promoted in its day as “The Hotel of the Future,” a fitting label for a property that launched with modern conveniences such as color televisions in every room and quickly became one of the city’s most visible hospitality landmarks. Its opening placed it at the center of the new Century City development, itself built on the former backlot of 20th Century Fox Studios,
From the start, the hotel was as much civic stage as retreat. Its ballroom hosted major televised entertainment events including the Emmy Awards and Grammy Awards, and it also played host to political theater: in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at a Democratic fundraiser amid anti–Vietnam War protests outside, and in 1969 President Richard Nixon held a state dinner there honoring the Apollo 11 astronauts. The guest list over the years included figures such as Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Walt and Lillian Disney, Prince Philip, and David Ben-Gurion.
The property changed course several times. Hyatt took over management and renamed it Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in 2006, and the hotel closed in 2016 for a multibillion-dollar redevelopment. The original tower was rebuilt with 400 larger rooms, while new residential towers were added behind it. The hotel reopened in September 2021 as Fairmont Century Plaza. Today, the property pairs its landmark pedigree with a major wellness component, including a 14,000-square-foot spa that Fairmont describes as Forbes Five-Star rated.
Architect Minoru Yamasaki's arc-shaped hotel opened in 1966 and hosted the only Presidential State Dinner held outside the White House in 1969 — welcoming the Apollo 11 astronauts — before Ronald Reagan made it his de facto Western White House.
The setting
Fairmont Century Plaza commands the centerpiece position on the Avenue of the Stars in Century City, built on the former backlot of 20th Century Fox after the studio sold the land in 1961 to developers who modeled the district on the Champs-Élysées. Architect Minoru Yamasaki's arc-shaped hotel opened in 1966 and hosted the only Presidential State Dinner held outside the White House in 1969 — welcoming the Apollo 11 astronauts — before Ronald Reagan made it his de facto Western White House. The Peninsula Beverly Hills and Waldorf Astoria are just over a kilometer away, and the Hammer Museum is nineteen minutes by transit, placing the hotel at the convergence of entertainment-industry power and American political history. 14 miles from Los Angeles International Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- The Bar — Restaurant
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Hammam
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- North America's Leading Conference Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- United States' Leading Conference Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
Open Fairmont Century Plaza in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More Fairmont hotels
- Fairmont Grand Del Mar — San Diego, United States · Grand Luxury
- The Plaza — New York City, United States · Grand Luxury
- Fairmont Kea Lani — Wailea, United States · High Luxury
- Fairmont Orchid — Kohala Coast, United States · High Luxury
- Fairmont San Francisco — San Francisco, United States · High Luxury
- Fairmont Scottsdale Princess — Scottsdale, United States · High Luxury
More hotels in Los Angeles
- Conrad Los Angeles — Conrad · High Luxury
- Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills — Four Seasons · High Luxury
- The Prospect Hollywood — Independent · High Luxury
- The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles — Ritz-Carlton · High Luxury
- The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey — Ritz-Carlton · High Luxury
- Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel — Proper Hotels · Core Luxury
Fairmont in The Maison: the brand's idea, history and every house on the atlas.